"Sit down, Elizabeth," Audrey said, motioning towards the bed.

For once, Lizzie silently obeyed her grandmother. She knew that Audrey was upset with her again because of Lucky. Whatever punishment came her way, she didn't care. She had no regrets. She was glad that for the first time in her life she had a real friend. A best friend.

"I know what you're going to say…"

"You don't have the faintest idea," Audrey began. "You think I want to talk to you about Lucky, don't you?"

"Yeah, Gram, but…"

"Well, I don't. What I have to say has nothing to do with Lucky."

"Gram, who was that downstairs?" she asked, hugging her knees to her chest.

"That was your cousin, Tommy."

"Why didn't you tell me he was coming? I heard voices… If Lucky hadn't been here…" Lizzie felt the tears sting her eyes as she remembered how afraid she had been. She was so thankful that Lucky had stayed with her tonight.

"I'm sorry about that. I can imagine how frightened you were, but I didn't know he was coming. His being here was a surprise for me, too."

"You mean, you didn't bring him here?" Lizzie asked.

Audrey debated with herself whether or not she should tell Lizzie the truth. She didn't want to scare her, nor did she want to lie to her either.

"No, I didn't. He was waiting for me when I came home." Audrey decided that a small omission wasn't exactly lying. Lizzie didn't need to know that Tommy had been waiting for her inside the house.

"What does he want and how long will he be here?" Lizzie frowned. Just when she thought she and her grandmother would form a real relationship, here came another grandchild to mess it all up.

"Now, is that any way to speak about your cousin? He has just as much right to be here as you." Audrey brushed the hair from her granddaughter's face. "Oh, Elizabeth. Give this a chance, okay? I have a feeling that Tommy needs love and support from us. We can do that, can't we?"

Lizzie nodded in response.

"Good. Now, go to sleep. You can meet him in the morning."

As Audrey descended the stairs, she prayed for guidance. The Tommy she knew seemed to have disappeared and was replaced by an angry and frightened young man. She wasn't sure if she would be able to reach him, but she was determined to try.

Half way down the stairs, Audrey knew what she would find in the living room. When she reached the living room, she discovered that her sixth sense was right for the second time that night. The sandwiches and Tommy were gone. The only evidence that he had been there was the empty glass of chocolate milk.

"No. Actually, we brought everything with us from Greece. Is Morticia Adams a famous interior decorator? Maybe Uncle consulted with her," Nikolas replied.

"Oh, Nickie," she laughed, shaking her head.

"Okay, what did I say incorrectly this time?" Nikolas asked with a smile.

When they turned down another hallway, Dawn became apprehensive. What if the East Wing was empty and no one else would be there except for her? She wasn't a chicken by any means, but she did have a problem with ghosts. And, Wyndemere seemed like it could be crawling with them.

"Brr."

"Are you cold? I can adjust the temperature if you are."

"No, I'm fine. Um, Nickie…how much further?"

"We're here. This is where you will be staying," he said, opening the door to the massive bedroom. He flicked the light switch so that his guest could see her accommodations for the night.

Dawn stepped into the huge room. The room was just as depressing as the rest of the house, but there was one bright spot. The huge canopy bed. She hadn't slept in a real bed since she left home two days ago. She went straight to the bed and tested its firmness with the palm of her hand. Nice. The bed was at least 2 feet off the ground. She would have to use the step in order to crawl into it. Her hand grazed across the bed covering. She had never felt anything so soft before. Dawn was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Nikolas behind her.

"Is everything okay?"

She jumped at his words, and turned to face him. He was so close that she could feel his breath against her cheek. His brown eyes were warm, yet curious. It was as if he was asking her a question with his eyes. She subconsciously licked her lips in reply. She saw that Nikolas' eyes hadn't missed the movement of her tongue on her lips. She knew he wanted to kiss her as much as she wanted to kiss him.

"I see that you found the guestroom. Was everything in order, Nikolas?" Stefan asked.

Nikolas stepped away from Dawn. He had been so lost in watching her and wanting to kiss her that he hadn't heard his uncle enter.

"Everything was fine," he said, his eyes on Dawn.

"Well, allow her to rest. Good-night," Stefan said, as he waited at the door for Nikolas.

"Good-night, Mr. Cassadine. Good-night, Nikolas."

Nikolas handed Dawn her backpack. Their fingers brushed for the briefest moment.

"Good-night, Dawn," Nikolas said. "If you should need anything, my bedroom is two doors down." He followed his uncle out of the room and closed the door.

Chapter Seven